1. SPORTS IN SOCIETY: SOCIOLOGICAL ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES
CHAPTER 5
SPORTS AND CHILDREN:
Are Organised Programs Worth the Effort?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

2. Origin and Development of Organised Youth Sports
Organised youth sports emerged in the 20th century.
The first programs focused on 'masculinising' boys.
Organised youth sports grew rapidly in many industrialised countries after World War II.
Programs emphasised competition as preparation for future occupational success.
Girls’ interests generally were ignored.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

3. Social Changes and the Growth of Organised Youth Sports
Increase in families with both parents working outside the home.
New definitions of what it means to be a 'good parent'.
Growing belief that informal activities provide occasions for kids to get into trouble.
Growing belief that the world is a dangerous place for children.
Increased visibility of high-performance and professional sports in society.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

4. Major Trends in Youth Sports Today
Organised programs have become increasingly privatised.
Organised programs increasingly emphasise the 'performance ethic'.
An increase in elite training facilities.
Increased involvement and concerns among parents.
Increased participation in 'alternative sports'.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

5. The Rising Cost of Organised Programs
Increasingly dependent on fundraising, membership dues.
Often too expensive for lower income families and suburbs. May reproduce economic and ethnic inequalities in society.
May not be committed to gender equity. Private programs are not accountable in the same way as public programs.
Market forces become primary factors in who plays.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

6. Emphasis on the ‘Performance Ethic’
Refers to emphasising measured outcomes as indicators of the quality of sport experiences.
Fun = becoming better.
Emphasised in private programs.
Related to parental notions of investing in their children’s future.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

7. New, Elite, Specialised Sports-Training Programs
Most common in private, commercial programs.
Emphasise the potential for children to gain material rewards through sports.
Children often 'work' long hours and become like 'labourers’, but programs are not governed by child labour laws.
Raise ethical issues about adult-child relationships.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

8. Increased Interest in Alternative and Action Sports
A response to highly structured, adult-controlled organised programs.
Revolve around desires to be expressive and spontaneous.
May have high injury rates and patterns of exclusion related to gender and social class.
Are being appropriated by large corporations for advertising purposes.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

9. Different Experiences
Formal sports emphasise:
Formal rules
Set positions
Systematic guidance by adults
Status and outcomes
Informal sports emphasise:
Action
Personal involvement
Challenging experiences
Reaffirming friendships
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

10. Different Outcomes Informal sports emphasise: Formal sports emphasise:
Relationships with authority figures
Learning rules and strategies
Rule-governed teamwork and achievement
Informal sports emphasise:
Interpersonal and decision-making skills
Cooperation
Improvisation
Problem solving
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

11. When are Children Ready to Play Organised, Competitive Sports?
Prior to age 12, many children don’t have the ability to fully understand competitive team sports.
They play 'beehive soccer‘.
Children must lean how to cooperate before they can learn how to compete.
Team sports require the use of a 'third-party perspective'.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

12. What Are the Dynamics of Family Relationships in Youth Sports?
Sports have the potential to bring families together.
Being together does not always mean that close communication occurs.
Children may feel pressure from parents.
Parent labour in youth sports often reproduces gendered ideas about work and family.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

13. How Do Social Factors Influence Youth Sports Experiences?
Participation opportunities vary by social class.
Encouragement often varies by gender and ability/disability.
Self-perceptions and social consequences of participation vary by social class, gender, race/ethnicity, ability/disability and sexuality.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

14. Competitive Sports in Schools
Impact on the quality of education:
What are the arguments for and against the programs?
How are the programs related to the educational experiences of competitors and other students in secondary schools?
What effects do the programs have on the organisation of schools and the quality of educational programs?
What are the major problems associated with the programs and how might the problems be solved?
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

15. Additional Effects of Secondary School Sports
Being noticed and rewarded
Attracting adult advocates
Providing occasions for learning
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

16. Competitive Secondary School Sports: Problems and Recommendations
An overemphasis on 'sports development'
Limited participation access
School cultures in which certain competitors are privileged over other students
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

17. Do Competitive Sports Contribute to Education?
No consistent evidence that school sports produce negative consequences for participants.
Secondary school sport programs usually create school spirit among some students and staff.
School programs subvert the achievement of educational goals when they (1) overemphasise sports development, (2) limit participation among certain segments of the student body, and (3) distort the status system and organisational culture that exists in a school.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

18. Recommendations for Improving Informal, Alternative and Action Sports
Make play spaces more safe and accessible to as many children as possible.
Be sensitive to social class and gender patterns.
Provide indirect guidance without being controlling.
Treat these sports as worthwhile sites for facing challenges and developing competence.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

19. Recommendations for Improving Organised Sports
Increase action.
Increase personal involvement.
Facilitate close scores and realistic challenges.
Facilitate friendship formation and maintenance.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

20. Recommendations for Improving High-performance Programs
Establish policies, procedures and rules to account for the rights and interests of child participants.
Create less controlling environments designed to promote growth, development and empowerment.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

21. Obstacles to Change
Often subverted when priority is given to efficiency and organisation over age-based developmental concerns.
May be subverted by national organisations concerned with standardising programs.
May be subverted by adult administrators with vested interests in the status quo.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd

22. Coaching Education Programs
Are useful when they provide coaches with information on:
dealing with children safely and responsibly.
organising practices and teaching skills.
Can be problematic when they foster a 'techno-science' approach to controlling children as they teach skills
creating 'sports efficiency experts' should not be the goal.
PPTs to accompany Sports in Society 2e by Coakley, Hallinan and MacDonald
© 2011 McGraw-Hill Australia Pty Ltd